Game apparatus.



WILLIAM A. MELIUS, OF GHENT, NEW YORK.

GAME APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 21, 1916.

Application filed September 10, 1915. Serial No. 50,005.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM a citizen of the United States, residing atGhent, in the county of Columbia and State ples of base-ball areinvolved and which consists essentially of a diamond having the positionof the players properly located thereon and determined by holes whichreceive the object or playing ball.

Further objects of the invention will appear as the following specificdescription is read in connection with the accompanying drawing whichforms a part of this application, and in which Figure 1 is a plan view.Fig. 2 isa transverse sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken midway between the top andbottom of the case or box. Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view takenon line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, 1 represents a box havingsides 1, ends 2 and 3, a base-board 4 and a glass cover or top 5. Thebase board has positioned thereon and extending diagonally from thesides to the end 2 a pair ofguiding strips 6 which converge to areceiving pocket 7, the purpose of which will be hereinafter described.

Located between the base board 4 and glass top 5 is a playing board 8separated a sufiicient distance from the top and baseboard to permit ofthe convenient rolling of the playing object not shown which preferablyconsists of a heavy ball of any suitable material. The playing board Sislaid out in the manner of a base ball field and is preferablyconstructed of papier mach or similar substance having placed therein aplurality of grooves 10 and other grooves 11 representing the baselines. The bases are indicated at 12, 13, 14 and 15, the latter beingthe home plate and the others, the first, second and third bases, in theorder A. MELIUS,

named. At each of the first, second and third bases, the board isprovided with a recess or offset pocket 16in which the ball 9 may lodgeand adjacent these pockets the board is apertured as shown at 17 toprovide openings for the passage of the ball to the base-board 4, where,upon tilting of the apertures, the ball will be guided by the strip 6 tothe pocket 7 where it may be removed through an opening 18 in theplaying board 8. There are other openings 19 provided throughout theinfield which the alls are adapted to pass through so as to representouts by possible flies and short fouls.- The outfield playersrepresented by the holes 20 are connected to the base-lines bygrooves 21and 22. The other openings may be arranged around the board beyond thelines indicated, if desired, but it is believed that the present numberwill present a sufficiently diflicult problem without additionalhazards. It will be noticed that the pitchers position, which is alsorepresented by an aperture, is lower than the other points, and that theboard is inclined in all directions from the center or that the ball hasa natural tendency to travel toward the pitchers position, therebymaking it more difiicult for the ball to travel the baselines than wouldbe the case where the playing board were level.

In playing the game, the operator starts the game from the home plateand it is his object to get the ball in the sockets or pockets 16 andout of them along the base lines from first to second, second to thirdand back to home without passing through any of the openings. If theball which represents the player falls through any of the openingsrepresented at 17, the player is considered to be put out by one of thebasemen. If it enters the opening at the shortstops position, the playeris considered to be put out by either of these players. Difliculty ofthe game resides in getting the ball out of the safe pockets 16 andcausing it to travel a continuous path around the base lines.

What is claimed is 1. A base ball game apparatus comprising an elongatedbox-like structure, including a bottom, glass top, side and end walls,

a playing board interposed between said top and bottom and spaced fromboth, said board having a diamond shaped pathway indicative of a ballfield, said board having an opening at the juncture of the adjacentpathways and also a pocket at one side of from different points on saidsurface to the difierent pathways and communicating therewith, and aplaying object adapted to travel over said board;

.2. A base ball game apparatus comprising an elongated box-likestructure, including a bottom, glass top, side and end walls,

a playing board interposed between said top and bottom and spaced fromboth, said playing board'havinga diamond shaped pathway indicative of aball field, and an opening at the juncture of the adjacent sides of thepathway, and also a pocket'at one side of each opening, said pocketextending beyond the outline of thevpathway, the surface bounded by saidpathway defining the disposed grooves leading infield and having aplurality of irregularly from different points on said sur faceto thedifferent sides of the pathway and communicating "with the latter, saidboard having a plurality of openings beyond said pathway indicative ofcertain la ers ositions two sides of the said pathway leading to apocket adjacent one end of the board indicative of the home plate, aplaying object adapted to travel over the board, and a pair ofconvergently disposed members arranged be- 7 tween the board and saidbottom for guiding the playing object, toward said home plate subsequentto the passing of the object through any ofsaid openings. x v

In testimony whereof'l affix my signature inpresence of two witnesses;

7 WILLIAM A. E IUs.

Witnesses: l V

ARDEN M LIUs,

GEORGE W. THAYER.

Copies ot-this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner 01' Batents,

' Washington, D. 0,,

